Cook, R-Apple Valley, called the morning hearing "a strong bipartisan agreement" that the U.S. must "swiftly and aggressively" counter Russian efforts against the U.S. and American allies.

Shea Johnson Staff Writer @DP_Shea

WASHINGTON — In a new era of "fake news," pressed by President Donald Trump against major American media outlets, Rep. Paul Cook and other Foreign Affairs Committee members turned attention Thursday to the misinformation efforts of the Russian government.

Cook, R-Apple Valley, who is vice chairman of the committee, called the morning hearing "a strong bipartisan agreement" that the U.S. must "swiftly and aggressively" counter Russian efforts against the U.S. and American allies.

"For a long time, Vladimir Putin's goal has been to test the strength of cohesion of NATO," Cook said in a statement. "He believes that a western-led democratic order is a huge problem that must be discredited and stopped."

Russian efforts that were broached included fake or grossly exaggerated news stories that have become a staple of misinformation strategies, Cook's office said, such as promoting untrue stories about the content of Wikileak dumps, grossly exaggerating the size and scope of NATO training exercises, and clearly lying about sexual violence against civilians by NATO soldiers.

"These Russian efforts include using blackmail and propaganda campaigns to influence free elections, conducting cyber-attacks against both governments and private individuals," Cook said, "and using targeted military support to fracture Western alliances."

Committee Chairman Ed Royce, R-Fullerton, said Russia had been running a media war against the Baltic states for over a decade.

"What is new is that Russian disinformation has been growing in sophistication, intensity, reach and impact," Royce said.

He added that it hasn't been entirely about pushing Russian agenda but, instead, causing confusion and distraction, and eroding support for western values.

U.S. intelligence officials concluded that Russia sought to influence the outcome of the November presidential election and was responsible for the hacks of the Democratic National Committee and the personal email accounts of American campaign officials.

Royce said, "more should be done to hold those hacking accountable," while Cook called for intensifying partnerships.